


Simply be mine

by maniasquared



Series: Stucky One-Shots and Drabbles [27]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky Barnes-centric, Childhood Memories, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Mush, Gen, M/M, Memories, Minor Canonical Character(s), Multi, Music, Musical References, New York, New York City, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Recovered Memories, Romantic Fluff, Therapy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:38:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maniasquared/pseuds/maniasquared
Summary: He was walking down 7th Avenue towards Broadway Street when, out of the corner of his eye, a cardboard box caught his attention. It wasn’t an ordinary cardboard box, no, it was a moving box. Well, actually, it was trembling more than anything. Seemingly, there was nothing on the outside to cause its quivering. Maybe it was a bad idea, but to hell with it; Bucky was intrigued. Even formerly brain-washed assassins get curious, despite what some people thought (e.g. Tony fucking Stark). He still moved cautiously, though; he wasn’t a complete idiot.When he peered inside, he saw several puppies playing. Confused as to why there was a box of puppies in an alley off the streets of New York, he inspected the box further, making sure there wasn’t anything else suspicious around it. Once he deemed it to be safe, he put his hand in and started petting the rambunctious dogs. Immediately, they all fought for his attention, jumping over each other and wagging their tails so hard their little butts wiggled with the force. Bucky couldn’t help but grin; they were too damn cute.Or: Bucky brings home a box full of puppies. Fluff ensues.





	Simply be mine

**Author's Note:**

> "You never know if you never try to forgive your past and simply be mine, I dare you to let me be your, your one and only, promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms"
> 
> Title from "One and Only" by Adele.
> 
> This is un-beta'd.

He was walking down 7th Avenue towards Broadway Street when, out of the corner of his eye, a cardboard box caught his attention. It wasn’t an ordinary cardboard box, no, it was a moving box. Well, actually, it was trembling more than anything. Seemingly, there was nothing on the outside to cause its quivering. Maybe it was a bad idea, but to hell with it; Bucky was intrigued. Even formerly brain-washed assassins get curious, despite what  _ some _ people thought (e.g. Tony  _ fucking _ Stark). He still moved cautiously, though; he wasn’t a complete idiot.

When he peered inside, he saw several puppies playing. Confused as to why there was a box of puppies in an alley off the streets of New York, he inspected the box further, making sure there wasn’t anything else suspicious around it. Once he deemed it to be safe, he put his hand in and started petting the rambunctious dogs. Immediately, they all fought for his attention, jumping over each other and wagging their tails so hard their little butts wiggled with the force. Bucky couldn’t help but grin; they were too damn cute.

“What’re you doin’ out here all by your lonesome, hmm?” Bucky asked the pups.

His brows furrowed as he straightened up to look around. There was no one in sight that looked like they were missing a whole box of puppies. He didn’t know what to do. What if someone left the box so they could run into a shop? Pets weren’t allowed in most establishments. Did he leave it be and continue going home? That felt wrong.

What if someone abandoned these dogs? The question pulled at Bucky’s heart. He didn’t want to know the answer. How could someone do such a thing?

He couldn’t leave them.

Decidedly, he picked up the box and shushed the animals, who had begun barking at the movement. He carried them in one arm while he stuck his free hand in to pat them as he walked.

“Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of you,” said Bucky, firm and determined. Smiling fondly at them, he added, “Let’s just hope that Stevie doesn’t throw a fit, yeah?”

Before the war, he had a dog. When he was 9 years old, his father came home with a beagle/boxer mix tucked under his coat, and his mother had a fit. She said they couldn’t afford a dog, nor were the children responsible enough to take care of one. But as soon as she picked up the puppy and took a good look at his face, she said, “I guess he’s not too bad…. This doesn’t mean you’re out of the doghouse, George!”

Bucky took the time to appreciate the puppies closer up as he waited for the light to change at an intersection. They couldn’t have been more than a few months old.

“Hey, buddy! Get moving!” some asshole said when he bumped into Bucky to get across the street. “We don’t have all day!”

Bucky nearly dropped the box from the collision, and he sent the most frightening glare he could. It was well received; the man gulped and turned on his heel, wide-eyed as he scurried away. But what a sight he must have been: a tall, dark, muscular man with a metal arm carrying a box of puppies in the middle of Manhattan. Maybe it wasn’t the weirdest thing a person could see; it was New York after all.

By the time Bucky made it to his building, the dogs were napping. They were all cuddled together, laying on top of each other in ways that certainly didn’t seem comfortable, but they were sleeping all the same. He managed to get his keys out of his pocket with one hand while still balancing the box in the other and didn’t drop either (which Bucky triumphantly called a success). Trying to be as quiet as possible, he slipped inside his apartment and locked the door behind him.

Instantly, he recognized the soft tune of “Rum And Coca-Cola” by The Andrews Sisters, and he heard Steve humming along in the bedroom. He smiled softly as carefully set the box on the ground so he could untie his boots.

Not many people knew, but Steve thought about the times before he was frozen, before HYDRA, before the war. It was a frequent occurrence in their living space to have the oldies playing, or the two of them to watch a classic movie from the 1930s. They both agreed that the 21st century was nice, but sometimes they missed the times when things were simpler. They didn’t get to live the full lives their friends and family had. Often, it was painful to think about how much they missed out on.

Out of everyone they knew, most had passed away by now, and of those still alive, it felt so wrong to visit them. Seeing your friends all aged when it felt like the last time you saw them was only a few days ago or a month at most, was too much to handle, Bucky thought to himself. He tried to shake it, didn’t want to be weighed down by the reality of it at the moment.

“Buck? Is that you?”

Settling into the corner of the couch with the box in his lap, he replied, “Yeah.” He paused and then decided to get it over with. “Hey, what would you do if I brought home 10 puppies?”

Steve appeared in the doorway of their room and took one look at his partner, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “Bucky, what’s in the box?”

Bucky bit his lip. “I think you already know.”

“You’re not being serious, are you?”

“I am—well, sorta—there’s four of ‘em,” he said, watching Steve’s reaction closely. When Steve walked over to where he sat, he explained, “They were alone in an alley. I couldn’t leave ‘em, Stevie, I just couldn’t. You gotta understand….”

Shaking his head a little, Steve sighed and sat down next to Bucky. He smiled warmly and raised a hand to run through Bucky’s hair. “I know, sweetheart, but you know we can’t keep them, right?”

Bucky leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. “I know… what’re we gonna do?”

“We can make sure they find good homes, sound like a plan?” offered Steve, tucking a few strands of hair behind his partner’s ear. His facial features were soft and adoring; it gave Bucky butterflies in his stomach. 

He nodded. “We have to get supplies then. We might have them for a few days still, yeah?”

One trip to the pet store later, they came home with food, dishes, and a few toys for the pups. The two set up a corner of their apartment, and Steve walked off to find his laptop after snapping a few photos of the dogs so he could start getting the word out about them being up for adoption.

The puppies were just as excited to see Bucky again as they were when he found them. He’d never admit it, but it made his heart melt a little. They were so small and innocent; they hadn’t been corrupted like him. The pure curiosity and eagerness were refreshing. Bucky’d gotten used to his jaded views on life (how could he not with the life he’d led so far?), so the tiny, fluffy balls of energy lifted his spirits. He chuckled as he picked up a toy, watching them chase after it once he tossed it lightly.

Leaning against the doorframe, Steve observed his partner interact with the dogs. He hadn’t seen Bucky act like that in a long time, at least, not without his help. Bucky didn’t smile or laugh often, and if he did, Steve was the cause of it. (The only exception was when Sam tripped up the stairs in front of him; that made him laugh ridiculously hard, and it made Sam ridiculously pissy.)

Seeing Bucky let loose by himself was a relief to Steve; it eased the ache in his chest ever so slightly. He’d never thought he’d get the chance to live such a domestic life with his best friend, his partner. Back then, it wasn’t feasible, but now he got what he wanted. And, goddamn, how lucky was he? Surely he didn’t deserve it, yet he cherished it all the same.

“You gonna come join in or just stand there?”

Steve blinked, retreating from the depths of his mind. Bucky looked at him with that snarky expression he knew so well.

“You’re grinning like a fuckin’ dope,” said Bucky, raising an eyebrow, “whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“Nothing,” Steve responded, sitting down on the floor and resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder. “I love you.”

Bucky scoffed and called him a sap with an eye-roll, but said it back all the same. He gave Steve a kiss on the temple. One puppy ran over and jumped into Steve’s lap. The others continued to play farther off in the corner. Scratching behind the dog’s ear, Bucky said, “I think Jack likes you.”

“‘Jack?’”

“Yeah, I call this one Jack.”

“Buck, you know if you name them, you’ll get attached.”

“I know… but I couldn’t help it.” He was quiet for a minute. “Don’t worry, I only named this guy. Other pups don’t got names.”

Steve said as he petted the dog, “He’s got mismatched eyes.”

“Just like me,” said Bucky, fondness curling over his words. “‘Cept I got mismatched arms… but, you know, it’s pretty damn close.”

That’s why he’d taken an interest in the dog, Steve thought. Maybe that’s why he named this one and not the others.

They sat in silence for a long time, the only noise coming from the puppies playing.

“Why Jack?” Steve asked. He turned towards Bucky.

Bucky’s lips quirked up at the edges, glancing at his partner with a blush across his cheeks. “Remember when my dad came home with a puppy?”

“Sport? Wasn’t that his name?”

“That was my sister’s idea, not mine,” Bucky said, exasperated. “Dumb fuckin’ name, if you ask me.”

Steve laughed with a shake of his head. “Yeah, I remember. I couldn’t come over anymore ‘cause I was allergic.”

“You’re not allergic no more, thanks to that serum,” Bucky pointed out. “But I wanted to name him Jack, and my sister insisted and practically threw a damn tantrum to get her way…. Always wanted to get a dog and name him Jack. Thought I would when I was older, but then the war came and….”

He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if he could just brush off over half a decade’s worth of torture and brain-washing.

Steve said nothing at first. He wasn’t sure of what to say. Then, “You want to keep him?”

Bucky’s eyes widened. “Stevie—you said we couldn’t—”

“I said we couldn’t keep all of them. There’s a difference,” retorted Steve, smiling gently. “What do you say? We could get joint custody if you really wanted to….”

With a snort, Bucky said, “Oh shut up, punk.” He gave Steve’s shoulder a push. “But yeah… I’d like that; I wanna keep him…. Thank you, Stevie, seriously.”

“For a jerk like you?” Steve intertwined their fingers together, one metal, one flesh-and-bone. “Anything.”

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly loved writing this. It was a lot of fun, and the fluff made my guts hurt.
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated; it lets me know that people are enjoying my writing (and god knows I need the validation/confirmation).


End file.
